Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Korean cosmetics stores

Cosmetics shopping in Korea can be really fun and daunting at the same time.  There are so many different choices that it's very overwhelming, so I wanted to share some of my thoughts and tips about the brands and how to go about it.  First, some overall shopping tips:

  • Don't feel obligated to buy something if they hand you a free sample to lure you into the store.  You don't have to!  Nor should you feel guilty, because they pass it out to get you in the store.
  • Wait for the sales if you're in Korea for a longer stay, like a month or more.  You'll see 50% off sales around.  Note though when there are sales, they usually don't give you samples.
  • Don't buy a product unless you really like it.  Chances are you'll find your HG at another brand and regret buying the product you settled for.  
  • Test the products before buying.  All the stores have testers, so feel free to test all you want!
  • You must go to that exact same store that you purchased from if you want to return or exchange.  Computer systems aren't as integrated as they are in the States, so you must go to the original store.  Also, the product must be unopened and unused.
  • Would personally avoid cosmetics shopping in Myeongdong on weekends.  Waaay too hectic as there are so many people.  

Below is a list of Korean cosmetics brand stores and my analysis (non-inclusive list ordered alphabetically, images via google)


Etude House (pronounced eh-twee-de)
Past & present spokesperson(s): Park Shin Hye, Jang Geun Suk, Lee Min Ho, Go Ara, etc. etc..
Price: $
My thoughts:  Overall good quality products sold at low and reasonable prices.  Out of all the brands, the pricing of Etude is the cheapest.  The packaging is also very cute.  I like the pink theme going as it makes you feel like a princess, but some may find it overwhelming.  One of my favorite brands.


Holika Holika
Present spokesperson(s): CN Blue

Price: $$
My thoughts:  With the purple themed decor and band music, Holika Holika came off as a more indie brand compared to Etude.  The sugar pop cuteness was exchanged for a more bold personality.  The makeup seemed to be of good quality. 


Missha


Present spokesperson(s): Kim Hye Soo
Price: $$-$$$
My thoughts:  This brand targets older people, probably ranging from late 20s-50s.  They have higher quality products than the brands that target the younger crowd and it is reflected in the price (though when it's on sale it's quite cheap). 


Laneige (often sold in a Sephora-like store called Aritaum)

Present spokesperson(s): Song Hye Go, Hyun Bin for men's line
Price: $$-$$$$
My thoughts:  Laneige is a department store-like brand that caters to a wide audience.  I like to compare it to Shiseido as it has cheaper lines for younger people and as you move up the age bracket the price increases.  It's verrrrry expensive abroad, so it's definitely worth buying in Korea.  



Nature Republic


Past & present spokesperson(s): JYJ, Jang Geun Suk, Rain
Price: $$
My thoughts:  This brand is relatively new as it was launched some time in the 2000s.  It markets itself as selling naturally made products.  None of the products stood out to me though.  I just went in to get the free facial mask samples with JYJ and JGS on them.  They did sell $1 nail polishes though, albeit very watery.



Skinfood
Past & present spokesperson(s): Sung Yuri
Price: $-$$
My thoughts:  All the products are based on some kind of food (ex. avocado, tomato, to just name a few.)  I feel like the products here though are kind of hit or miss, though the packaging is nice.  It also markets itself as a "natural" brand.  Its theme color is a yellow brown shade.



Innisfree

Past & present spokesperson(s): SNSD's Yoona
Price: $$
My thoughts:  Also a relatively new brand to the scene.  Similar to Nature Republic and Skinfood as it markets itself as a natural, organic brand.  The price is slightly more expensive than other brands (by slightly I mean like ~$2-3 more), but the quality is good and the products suited my skin well.  One of my favorite brands.



The Face Shop 

Present spokesperson(s): Kim Hyun Joong
Price: $$
My thoughts:  Probably targets older teens to women in their 30s.  Quality seemed to be a notch below Missha even though it has a little older customer base, though it is slightly cheaper.  


Tony Moly

Present spokesperson(s): Song Joong Ki
Price: $$
My thoughts:  The brand I liked the least because of its pushy sales associates!  They grab your arm as you walk by and literally drag you into the store.  When testing the products, I also felt that the quality didn't justify the price.  When testing some of the hyped about products in the store, I felt disappointed with the effectiveness.


The Saem

Present spokesperson(s): Lee Seung Ki
Price: $$
My thoughts:  Seemed to be very similar to The Face Shop (they even share the same brand color-white).  They handed out uber cute pens as samples.  It was the only brand that I found to sell a gradient nail polish set (which I will review later ^^).  Other than that, the store didn't seem to differentiate itself very well.


Hope you found this helpful.  As the weeks go by I'll post product reviews of the makeup products that I bought in Korea.  

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

"I open at the close."

Quote from the snitch Horcrux clue that Dumbledore left Harry.  My half year of travelling abroad has come to an end, since all good things must come to an end.  It's been a roller coaster of a ride, with all the ups and downs, though everything worked out in the end.  This Asia trip took me to 4 countries that I've been wanting to visit for a really, really long time.  Here's a quick wrap up.

1st stop Taiwan is always fun because of the great food, shopping, and culture.  Still haven't been able to do a complete tour of the island (gotta leave some things for the next time I go back =P), but this time I was able to make some friends, so it wasn't as quite boring and lonely as usual.  And at least I now know that if all fails in life, I can always go to Taiwan and join the lucrative English teaching industry lol.  

2nd stop Hong Kong!  My Cantonese friends always rave and rave about how good HK is, so I had kind of high expectations going in.  Best dim sum ever..I don't know how I'm going to be able to eat dim sum outside of HK anymore.  What was most special about HK was how it felt like a Western city in terms of the openness and internationalism of the city, yet the setting of the city was definitely Asian. Would like to take advantage of the tax-free shopping more next time, to be able to do more of the tourist sites, and a day in Macao.

3rd stop Seoul for 5 weeks were the best 5 weeks in my life.  Honestly after Seoul, I'm glad that studying in Japan didn't work out so that I had the opportunity to visit this city that has been #1 on my list ever since I got into Korean culture.  It met and exceeded all my expectations, though that's also because I met some awesome people in my program that made it this fun.  Fried chicken, waffles, pizza, who thought that the Koreans could make it taste so good that it tastes even better than its Western counterparts?  And of course, Korean food is always good.  Surprisingly I never got sick of Korean food.  I even started turning Korean with my stomach not feeling quite satisfied without seeing kimchi at every meal.  And it was cool to gauge my level of Korean proficiency.  At least all those hours I've wasted on dramas wasn't completely unproductive!  Living with my native Korean roommate was a great experience also.  Through her I felt like I got a deeper look into Korean culture.  

Final stop, Tokyo.  First thing I have to say: yes, it truly is as expensive as you've heard.  If you want to eat relatively well (besides fast-food and cheap Chinese food shops) meals average 1050Y, which is like $14 with the current exchange rate.  Not only that, but transportation costs are also high.  I limited myself to the Tokyo region and still spent about $100 on travel for 2 weeks.  Tokyo seemed overrated because I felt that the city didn't have much to offer after staying a week.  It's just another city for eating and shopping, mostly, like Taipei.  Though admittedly some neighborhoods were fun to people watch in.  (Seriously, the Japanese have an amazing sense of fashion that only the Japanese seem to be able to pull off.)  But the country itself has a lot to offer in terms of travel.  So next time I visit, I'll just spend 3 days in Tokyo then get out to see the other parts of Japan.  

A few of the tons of pictures that I've taken over these 6 months

Though this trip has ended, I'm also excited about this upcoming fall semester as it's going to be my last semester of college.  And if all works out well, I'll be back in Asia again.  =)  Over the next few posts I'll be jumping everywhere from my daily life to product reviews from my Asia haul to restaurant reviews in Tokyo.  Since I did such a bad job of posting abroad I gotta make it up now! *laughs*  Thanks for reading!